What is The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden about?

The Safekeep is a psychological thriller set in 1961 rural Netherlands that follows Isabel, a rigid 27-year-old woman living alone in her late mother's country home. When her brother Louis leaves his girlfriend Eva to stay for the summer, Isabel develops an obsessive fixation as household items mysteriously disappear. The novel explores the hidden legacy of WWII, revealing dark truths about complicity, stolen Jewish property, and repressed desire in post-war Dutch society.

Who is Yael van der Wouden?

Yael van der Wouden is a Dutch-Israeli writer and teacher born in Tel Aviv who currently lectures in creative writing and comparative literature in the Netherlands. Her essay "On (Not) Reading Anne Frank" received notable mention in The Best American Essays 2018. The Safekeep is her debut novel, which was acquired in hotly-contested nine-way auctions and sold rights to thirteen countries. In 2024, The Safekeep was longlisted for the Booker Prize.

Is The Safekeep worth reading?

The Safekeep is worth reading for those who appreciate literary fiction with psychological depth and historical complexity. Yael van der Wouden's debut received critical acclaim for its restrained, lyrical prose and atmospheric storytelling. The novel offers a unique perspective on WWII's aftermath through the lens of complicity and silence rather than traditional Holocaust narratives. However, readers should be prepared for emotionally opaque characters, slow-burn tension, and themes of betrayal that require sitting with discomfort.

Who should read The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden?

The Safekeep appeals to readers of literary fiction, psychological thrillers, and historical narratives exploring WWII's aftermath. Fans of atmospheric, character-driven stories with queer themes will appreciate the complex relationship between Isabel and Eva. Yael van der Wouden's novel suits those interested in Dutch Jewish identity, cultural memory, and stories about complicity and silence. Readers who enjoy ambiguous narratives and morally complex characters—rather than conventional romances—will find this debut particularly compelling.

What are the main themes in The Safekeep?

The Safekeep explores complicity and silence as survival mechanisms in post-war Netherlands, examining how ordinary people benefit from others' displacement. Yael van der Wouden investigates the stolen Jewish property that filled Dutch homes after WWII and the collective amnesia surrounding this history. Other central themes include repressed desire and sexuality, power imbalances in relationships, and how comfort is preserved at someone else's expense. The novel questions what remains unseen when people choose willful ignorance over confronting uncomfortable truths.

What is the significance of the house in The Safekeep?

The house in The Safekeep functions as a character representing stolen history and complicity. Isabel's family received the property during the harsh war winter of 1945, filled with Jewish belongings—cutlery, clothes, household items—from displaced and murdered families. Yael van der Wouden uses the house to explore how Dutch families inherited and normalized stolen possessions. Isabel's obsessive inventory-taking and possessiveness toward these objects contrasts sharply with the dispossession Jews experienced, making the house a physical manifestation of historical guilt.

What is the relationship between Isabel and Eva in The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden?

Isabel and Eva share a complex relationship marked by attraction, repulsion, and power imbalance rather than conventional romance. Isabel develops a fury-fueled obsession with Eva that transforms into infatuation during the sweltering summer. Yael van der Wouden crafts their connection with unresolved anguish and cold secrets, exploring the intersection of fear and desire. The relationship defies neat categorization, instead revealing how complicity and historical trauma shape intimacy. Their dynamic drives the novel's revelation about the house's true origins.

How does The Safekeep explore the legacy of WWII?

The Safekeep examines WWII's legacy through the overlooked story of looted Jewish household items that filled Dutch homes. Yael van der Wouden deviates from typical Holocaust literature focused on businesses and gold, instead highlighting personal belongings—spoons, knives, casserole dishes—that carry equal trauma. The novel explores how Dutch Jewish families erased their identities to survive, with many grandchildren discovering their heritage only in adulthood. The Safekeep reveals that the war isn't "truly over" when society remains complicit in silence.

La Garde

Yael van der Wouden

4.06(128788 Reviews)

Aperçu de La Garde

Dans « The Safekeep », le premier roman de Yael van der Wouden qui a remporté une enchère entre neuf éditeurs, les secrets de l'histoire se dénouent dans une prose envoûtante. Qualifié de « classique en devenir » par les juges qui lui ont décerné le Women's Prize, ce roman révolutionnaire a suscité des conversations mondiales sur la vérité, le désir et la représentation.

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Chapitre 1

A House of Secrets, A Heart of Longing

*The Safekeep* by Yael van der Wouden has taken the literary world by storm since its release, earning praise from critics and readers alike for its haunting exploration of post-war trauma, identity, and forbidden desire. The novel has been translated into fourteen languages and was recently featured on Barack Obama's summer reading list, where he praised its "unflinching examination of historical wounds that never fully heal." Set in 1960s Netherlands, this debut novel masterfully weaves together themes of possession-both material and emotional-against the backdrop of a country still reckoning with its wartime past. Van der Wouden, who drew inspiration from her own grandparents' experiences, creates a mesmerizing tale that asks: What do we truly own? Our possessions, our histories, or even our desires?

Chapitre 2

The Inheritance of Isolation

Isabel den Brave lives alone in her family's countryside home in the Netherlands, clinging to routine and order as her protection against the world. It's 1961, and at thirty-something, Isabel has cultivated a life of careful solitude following her mother's death years earlier. The house itself is her sanctuary-a place where she meticulously preserves her mother's possessions, using special plates only on the anniversary of her death and guarding every object with obsessive care. When her brother Louis brings his new girlfriend Eva to dinner, Isabel's carefully controlled world begins to crack. She immediately dislikes Eva, finding her affected and suspicious. There's something about Eva's confidence that unsettles Isabel, who prides herself on reading people accurately. Louis, usually fickle with women, seems uncharacteristically smitten, softening in Eva's presence in a way that both irritates and puzzles Isabel. The dinner is tense, with Isabel making cutting remarks about Eva's employment situation. Louis defends Eva, explaining she was a typist who recently inherited money from an aunt. In the restaurant bathroom, Isabel confronts Eva directly, bluntly stating she didn't invite her and predicting Louis will soon tire of her. But instead of cowering, Eva responds with unexpected confidence, revealing a glimpse of a different personality beneath her affected manner-a moment that leaves Isabel unsettled. Despite Isabel's reluctance, they visit Louis's apartment afterward, where Eva has redecorated with gaudy fabrics and abstract paintings. The tension between the siblings escalates when Eva questions Isabel about her dislike of Louis's roommate Maurice. Isabel tries to express her suspicions about Eva to her other brother Hendrik later, but he's too amused by Eva's tacky decorating choices to listen. That night, Isabel examines a china fragment she keeps-a piece of her mother's special hare-patterned plate-trying unsuccessfully to recall what belongings were already in the house when they first arrived as children.

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Chapitre 3

An Unwelcome Guest

Isabel's structured life is further disrupted when Louis announces he must attend a conference in Brighton and wants Eva to stay at Isabel's house while he's away. Isabel refuses, declaring "It's my house," but Louis reminds her that technically their Uncle Karel promised the house to him. After a tense exchange where Isabel accuses Eva of "tricking" Louis, she reluctantly agrees Eva can stay until "the first week of July." Eva's presence is immediately disruptive. She touches things, asks questions, and explores the house and gardens with an interest that seems excessive to Isabel, who watches from upstairs windows. When Eva wakes earlier than usual one morning, Isabel informs her she must move from "Mother's room" to a guest room upstairs. Eva resists, saying Louis told her she could stay there. Their confrontation escalates when Eva claims the house belongs to Louis as much as Isabel, triggering Isabel's defensive departure. Isabel's paranoia grows when she discovers Eva hasn't moved her things as instructed. That night, Isabel wakes to strange noises and discovers one of her twelve spoons is missing. This marks the beginning of Isabel's obsessive inventory-keeping-she creates a detailed list of every item in the house, keeping it folded in her pocket for reassurance. As more items mysteriously disappear-a cake knife, a decorative tile, a letter opener, a napkin ring-Isabel's suspicion of theft intensifies. She accuses Neelke, the young maid, of stealing, reducing the girl to tears. Hendrik tries to reassure Isabel that things simply get misplaced when living with others, but she remains convinced something sinister is happening. The tension between the women escalates when Isabel returns home to find Eva and Neelke sharing wine in her kitchen, with Eva styling Neelke's hair. Furious at this invasion of her space, Isabel confronts them. Eva refuses to let Isabel intimidate Neelke, challenging Isabel's authority. Their argument peaks when Isabel instinctively grabs Eva's arm, both women startled by the physical contact before Eva leaves, the heat of her arm lingering in Isabel's hand.

Chapitre 4

Memories and Mysteries

As Eva's presence continues to unsettle her, Isabel finds herself immersed in an increasingly complex web of memories. She vividly recalls the bitter winter of 1944, when Uncle Karel discovered their house during the hongerwinter - the Dutch famine that claimed thousands of lives. The memory of that time remains sharp: the gnawing hunger, the tulip bulb soup, the endless search for fuel to keep warm. After her mother's death when Isabel was twenty-two, she discovered a cache of wartime letters tucked away in an old dresser drawer - correspondence between her siblings that painted a different picture of their shared past than the one she remembered. Her wartime memories emerge in disjointed fragments, like pieces of a shattered mirror reflecting different moments: her father's sudden death in 1939 from a heart attack while reading his morning newspaper; the relentless bullying at school where classmates mocked her secondhand clothes and quiet demeanor; the terrifying nights when bombs rained down on Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the sky lighting up in apocalyptic oranges and reds. Each memory carries its own weight of trauma and loss. The decision to remain in Uncle Karel's countryside house after the war marked a pivotal shift in their family dynamics. Louis, always the most vocal, bitterly resented abandoning their Amsterdam life, claiming their mother had sacrificed their future for safety. Hendrik, caught in his own internal struggles, carried his unhappiness like a shadow regardless of where they lived. Isabel, however, found solace in the isolation, spending hours wandering through meadows and forests, losing herself in books borrowed from the village library. The countryside's quiet became her refuge, even as it drove her brothers further away. When her mother died, Isabel's solitude transformed into a crushing loneliness that seemed to echo through the empty rooms. Desperate to secure her future, she approached Uncle Karel about the house - a conversation that haunts her still. His response was cutting in its precision: "Be your own guardian, Isabel. Your brothers have their own lives; don't become another burden they must carry." The words landed like slaps, each syllable reinforcing her isolation. Isabel's relationship with Hendrik remains particularly fraught, marked by a pivotal incident during their teenage years. She can still picture the scene with devastating clarity: finding fifteen-year-old Hendrik with Edwin, his thirty-year-old piano teacher, in an intimate embrace in the music room. Their mother's swift reaction - terminating the lessons and forbidding any contact - triggered a chain of events that reverberated through their lives. Hendrik fled, finding refuge in an apartment that Uncle Karel quietly arranged, creating a rift that never fully healed. Years later, when their mother lay dying, Hendrik returned with Gerard, his partner of several years. Isabel's refusal to allow Gerard into the house - citing their mother's fragile condition - created another wound. The day their mother died, Hendrik was in Scheveningen, and Isabel's failure to contact him immediately became yet another point of contention between them. Now, as Isabel observes Eva moving through the house with an unnervingly natural ease, these memories surface with renewed intensity. There's something in Eva's presence that acts like a key, unlocking doors in Isabel's mind she'd preferred to keep closed. The woman triggers both deep suspicion and an inexplicable fascination in Isabel - a complicated emotion that sits in her chest like a stone, both familiar and foreign, much like Eva herself.

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Chapitre 5

Unexpected Desires

Isabel's carefully ordered life includes occasional dates with Johan, a successful architect who began pursuing her after a chance encounter during a rainstorm. Seeing her usually pristine hair disheveled and wet sparked his interest, though Isabel remains unmoved by his persistent attention. Their relationship maintains a formal distance - dinner dates at respectable restaurants where Isabel sits straight-backed and responds with practiced politeness to his monologues about building designs and city planning. After an especially strained evening where Johan repeatedly attempts to hold her hand and suggests they "move things forward," Isabel returns home feeling suffocated by his expectations. She finds Eva in the kitchen, barefoot and cross-legged on a chair, absorbed in one of Isabel's art history books. The sight both irritates and intrigues her - Eva's casual comfort in her space representing everything that disrupts Isabel's carefully maintained boundaries. Their initial exchange crackles with tension, Eva's direct gaze making Isabel unnecessarily defensive about her date. But as Eva gently probes about Johan, showing genuine curiosity rather than judgment, Isabel finds herself relaxing. When she challenges Eva about her earlier deception regarding the living arrangements, Eva's response - that she finds Isabel "admirable" - carries an unexpected weight that makes Isabel's chest tighten. The conversation meanders into deeper waters as they discuss desire and permission. Eva's suggestion about letting Johan kiss her comes with a knowing look that makes Isabel uncomfortable. Her confession about wanting to allow it but being unable to leads to Eva's impulsive demonstration - a quick, soft kiss meant to prove kisses are "nothing, really, a small thing." Instead, it ignites something neither woman expects. Isabel finds herself drawn forward by an unfamiliar gravity, their second kiss deeper and electric with meaning. Eva's whispered words about Isabel's resemblance to Louis shatter the moment, prompting Isabel's fierce denial - "I'm nothing like my brother." But the denial gets lost in what follows: Eva's fingers tangling in Isabel's hair, Isabel's hands gripping Eva's waist, their bodies pressing against the kitchen wall in an urgent, gasping embrace that overwhelms Isabel's senses with its intensity. The abrupt way Isabel tears herself away and flees to her room speaks to her terror at this unprecedented loss of control. She has never experienced such raw desire - the fact that it's directed at a woman, specifically her brother's girlfriend, leaves her reeling with shame and confusion. The arrival of Hendrik and Sebastian the next morning only intensifies her disorientation. Hearing Hendrik casually introduce Eva as "Louis's girlfriend" makes Isabel physically flinch. Her attempted confrontation with Eva in the hallway later - met with Eva's sharp "Not now" - leaves her with the sickening realization that this moment of weakness could unravel everything she's built her life around.

Chapitre 6

A Deepening Connection

Despite the initial confusion and shame, Isabel and Eva are drawn inexorably toward each other in the days that follow. After Hendrik and Sebastian's hasty departure leaves them alone in the house, Eva and Isabel cautiously navigate their growing attraction, each moment charged with unspoken tension. When Isabel returns from another uncomfortable encounter with Johan - during which she could barely focus on their conversation - she finds Eva waiting in the kitchen, nervously polishing already-clean glasses. Eva makes the first attempt to address their situation, suggesting they forget about their kisses, dismissing them as silly indiscretions while fidgeting with her apron strings. She mentions Louis's imminent return with forced casualness, though her trembling hands betray her emotional state. But when Isabel, voice barely above a whisper, admits she's never experienced anything like this before - this overwhelming pull toward another person - Eva moves closer, creating a moment of electric tension that neither can resist. The air between them grows thick with possibility. That night, Isabel wakes to the sound of desperate gasping. She finds Eva choking and thrashing in her bed, trapped in what appears to be a violent nightmare. When Isabel attempts to wake her, Eva's hands instinctively fly to Isabel's throat, gripping with surprising strength before recognition dawns in her terror-filled eyes. The moment passes like a flash of lightning, leaving them both shaken. Isabel, rather than retreating, climbs into Eva's bed and wraps her arms around the trembling woman. Their faces draw close in the darkness - not quite kissing, but sharing breath in an intimacy that feels more profound than any physical act. Eva whispers that "it's bad," a warning that seems to encompass more than just her nightmares, but eventually falls asleep in Isabel's arms while Isabel remains awake, acutely aware of Eva's warmth against her and the weight of what's developing between them. Days pass in a haze of desire as Isabel and Eva settle into a domestic routine that feels both natural and dangerously temporary. Eva cooks elaborate meals for Isabel, experimenting with local ingredients and family recipes. They make love in hidden corners of the garden, learning each other's bodies with increasing familiarity. During quiet moments, Eva shares fragments of her past, including a passionate relationship with another woman during a particularly cold winter in a Copenhagen boardinghouse - a confession that helps Isabel understand she isn't alone in these feelings. Eva's night terrors continue, occurring with unsettling regularity. She insists on sleeping in Isabel's childhood bedroom, claiming the familiar space brings her comfort. There, she examines Isabel's possessions with careful attention - old schoolbooks, childhood drawings, and most notably a worn stuffed hare that Isabel simply named "Haas." Each item she touches seems to forge another connection between them, building a bridge across their different backgrounds. Their passionate idyll is interrupted by an urgent letter from Louis announcing unexpected delays in his business affairs. Eva responds with forced nonchalance, quickly changing the subject to the garden's needs, but Isabel notices how her hands shake while holding the letter. They spend Sunday in a fever of passionate embraces, Isabel laughing with genuine relief when Johan calls instead of Louis. In a moment of vulnerable honesty, Eva asks if Isabel remembers hating her, circling around the unspoken presence of Louis between them - a question that hangs in the air like storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

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Chapitre 7

Secrets Revealed

The fragile happiness between Isabel and Eva shatters when Louis calls the house, frantically asking Isabel to get Eva out. He confesses he's met someone named Mary and wants Eva gone. Eva overhears and demands the phone, speaking sweetly to Louis while arranging his return. When Isabel reveals Louis's betrayal, Eva erupts in frustration, explaining she has "nothing" in life and needs the security Louis offers. Isabel offers her own money and home, but Eva dismisses it as temporary charity with no real certainty. After storming out, Eva returns late at night to pack her belongings. Isabel finds her weeping and they share one final passionate night together. In the morning, Isabel discovers Eva's diary, which contains not personal entries but detailed lists of household items-revealing it to be an inventory of valuables in the house. Isabel confronts Eva with the diary, accusing her of being a thief who came to steal from her. Eva initially denies it, then coldly admits the items are "gone" and Isabel "won't get them back." When Isabel threatens to call the police, Eva hastily packs her suitcase, which accidentally spills open revealing broken ceramic pieces from Isabel's home. Eva cryptically says, "You were never supposed to have it. It was never yours," before leaving. Isabel falls ill with fever afterward. Louis returns with his new girlfriend Mary, who awkwardly tours the house while Isabel remains distant and unwell. That night, feverish Isabel examines Eva's diary again and discovers something shocking-the book's first page reveals Eva's full name is "Eva de Haas," suggesting a deeper connection to the house and its possessions than Isabel had realized. The diary entries reveal Eva's history-she was born in Isabel's house, which her father (a school principal who died in the camps) had owned. The property was sold because he couldn't pay the mortgage after his death. Eva had been planning her return to the house for years, believing she had legitimate claim to it or its contents. The entries document her deliberate pursuit of Louis as a way to access the house and reclaim what she believed was rightfully hers.

Chapitre 8

The Safekeep

After discovering the devastating truth about Eva's identity, Isabel embarks on her own painful journey of reckoning with her family's past. She visits her mother's old friend, Tante Rian, in her small house on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where the elderly woman speaks in cryptic circles about a precious dish she safeguarded during the war years - her words heavy with unspoken meaning. Upon returning home, Isabel methodically wraps exactly half of her household possessions in newspaper - from her mother's delicate teacups to the heavy silver candlesticks. This meticulous division becomes a ritual of acknowledgment, a physical manifestation of the understanding that half of what she owns was never truly hers to inherit. The tension reaches its peak during her visit to Hendrik and Sebastian before their departure to Paris. In their father's old study, now stripped bare for the move, Isabel finally confronts Hendrik about his decades-long absence after their mother's death. The pain of abandonment surfaces in her trembling voice as she demands answers. Hendrik, his face tight with old grief, defends himself by revealing their mother's rejection of him - how she turned away from his choices, his life, his truth. Sebastian, ever the mediator, later pulls Isabel aside in the garden. Among the winter-bare rosebushes, he delivers a harsh truth: "You have so much more than most" - words that cut deeper because of their accuracy. On a bitter January morning, Isabel crosses the busy Herengracht, her breath visible in the cold air, to reach a basement apartment where she's finally tracked down Eva. The younger woman's previously platinum hair has returned to its natural brown, the change making her seem more vulnerable, more real. Eva meets her at the door with defensive hostility, immediately asking if Isabel has come to alert authorities. Inside the cramped apartment, with its single window letting in weak winter light, Isabel carefully places two items on Eva's worn kitchen table: the diary, its pages now dog-eared from Isabel's repeated readings, and a broken piece of china bearing blue flowers and the partial image of a hare's leg - a fragment that connects directly to Eva's childhood memories. Their confrontation builds like a gathering storm. Eva's accusations cut deep, calling out Isabel and the entire country's willing blindness to wartime atrocities. When Isabel attempts to justify her approach through Louis rather than direct contact, Eva's response is brutal in its honesty, reminding Isabel of their first meeting "as family" - how Isabel's cold dismissal had confirmed every fear Eva carried about claiming her heritage. The emotional dam finally breaks when Isabel steps forward to embrace Eva. The younger woman's initial resistance is physical, her body rigid with years of hurt, before slowly yielding to the contact. Isabel's apologies pour forth, raw and desperate, as she declares she would "die at the thought of anything hurting" Eva. But Eva, though softening, remains clear-eyed about the complexities of their situation. Her questions strike at the heart of their shared dilemma: "What if that's you? The thing that hurts? What if it's who you are? What if it's where you come from?" - questions that echo the fundamental challenge of reconciling past with present, inheritance with justice.

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Chapitre 9

A House of Devotion

After their confrontation, Isabel returns to her empty house, which feels ashamed and unwelcoming. She spends her days in solitude after Neelke leaves to marry Bas, attempting to manage household tasks alone. During a walk into town, Isabel stops at the synagogue, noticing its Hebrew inscription which she later discovers translates to "For my house will be called a house of devotion for all." One evening as Isabel sits by the fire, someone knocks. It's Eva, freezing from walking from the station. Isabel invites her in, careful not to touch her. In the kitchen, Eva notices boxes containing the items Isabel has packed away-the contents of the glass vitrine. Their confrontation resumes as Eva bitterly recalls how she and her mother once stood outside begging for their house back. In a moment of emotional surrender, Isabel kneels before Eva, pressing Eva's hand to her chest, and reveals she has arranged for the house to go to her. "It's mine. And it's yours. If you want it," Isabel says. Eva questions whether this means she must take Isabel too, to which Isabel responds that while she has nowhere else to go, Eva can have anything. "Have me," Isabel pleads repeatedly, promising never to send Eva away again. Eva asks if Isabel's heart-"this fleeting thing, this changeable thing"-is the only guarantee she has. When Isabel confirms it is, Eva kisses her hard, then softly, still weeping. "I'll never leave," Eva promises. "If you are mine then I am yours... if I stay, if I'm yours then you must keep me." They both fall to their knees, holding each other as Isabel murmurs Eva's name and calls her "my love," begging, "Let me try." Morning arrives with winter's pink light and silencing snow. Isabel stands by the window, viewing the scene she knows from childhood-now seeing it through Eva's eyes too, "an echo of the same story." Eva approaches with a gentle touch to Isabel's spine. Isabel turns to her, and Eva rises on her toes to kiss her jaw. Isabel turns fully into her arms, bending toward Eva's upturned face-"a gift." In this final moment, the novel completes its exploration of what it truly means to safekeep-not just objects, but histories, traumas, and ultimately, each other. The house becomes not just a repository of stolen things but a place where two women, connected by history's cruelty, might begin to heal together, transforming it into what the synagogue inscription promised: a house of devotion for all.

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Thèmes clés dans La Garde

post-war restitution
stolen jewish property
repressed queer desire
generational trauma
material possession

Citations de La Garde

It's my house.
Be your own guardian, Isabel.
The countryside's quiet became her refuge.

Personnages de La Garde

Isabel den BraveThe protagonist who lives a life of rigid order
EvaLouis's girlfriend whose presence disrupts Isabel
LouisIsabel's brother who brings Eva into the home
HendrikIsabel's other brother
NeelkeThe young maid working in Isabel's house

À propos de l'auteur

Yael van der Wouden est une autrice néerlando-israélienne, chargée de cours en création littéraire, et l'écrivaine derrière le premier roman acclamé par la critique The Safekeep (publié en français sous le titre La Garde), un thriller littéraire psychologique explorant le traumatisme d'après-guerre, le désir et l'identité juive dans les Pays-Bas de 1961.

Née à Tel Aviv et aujourd'hui basée à Utrecht, van der Wouden est diplômée en littérature comparée de l'Université d'Utrecht et de SUNY Binghamton, avec une spécialisation dans la mémoire culturelle et le paysage — une expertise qui nourrit profondément l'examen atmosphérique du roman sur le déplacement et la complicité dans la société néerlandaise après la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Ses essais et nouvelles ont été publiés dans The Sun Magazine et Barrelhouse, et son essai « On (Not) Reading Anne Frank » a figuré dans les Best American Essays 2018. Ses fictions courtes ont reçu des nominations pour le prix Pushcart, le Best of the Net et les Best Small Fictions. The Safekeep est entré dans l'histoire en tant que premier roman d'un auteur néerlandais sélectionné pour le prix Booker et a remporté le Women's Prize for Fiction 2025.

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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

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Chapitre 6

La Garde

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Un livre. De nombreuses façons de l'écouter.

A House of Secrets, A Heart of Longing

The Inheritance of Isolation

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An Unwelcome Guest

Memories and Mysteries

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Unexpected Desires

A Deepening Connection

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Secrets Revealed

The Safekeep

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A House of Devotion

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1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

Un livre. De nombreuses façons de l'écouter.

A House of Secrets, A Heart of Longing

The Inheritance of Isolation

Voyez chaque mot au fil de l'écoute

An Unwelcome Guest

Memories and Mysteries

Profitez davantage de La Garde

Unexpected Desires

A Deepening Connection

Voyez chaque mot au fil de l'écoute

Secrets Revealed

The Safekeep

Profitez davantage de La Garde

A House of Devotion

Vous êtes arrivé au bout de La Garde

Les utilisateurs ont aussi aimé

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Aperçu de La Garde